Buried Treasured Memories
by YSFanfics
Summary: Waking up on a island with no recollection of anything. That's what Luffy opened his eyes to. A mind more empty than usual. Discover how Luffy regains his memories with the help of certain characters. After all, there is more to the mystery than a simple accident. This story will eventually do spoilers so proceed with caution. I know a rubbish summery I tried. Rated T for safety.
1. Dazed and Confused

**Hello fellow readers! Welcome to my first story I am here to present my lack of creativity and English skills on a website that allow people to read the... interesting imaginations of authors. And most of those people don't want to admit it.**

 **WARNING: Don't expect characters to be written right.**

 **In that case, kick back, relax and enjoy, cause here we go.**

* * *

 _Blue._ Blue is the first thing that could see as my eyes open.

 _Wait. No, now there's white. Clouds?_

 _The sky. Is that what it's called? Yeah that's the sky._

I sit up slowly and stare at the world around me. Multiple words popping in my mind and giving me a mild headache.

 _Sun, sky, clouds, sea, sand._ I turn around and even more information enters my brain.

 _Trees, grass, flowers, leaves._ I close my eyes in attempt to slow down my brain and one word kept echoing.

 _Darkness._

After a few long seconds I open my eyes and found myself looking at the line where the sky meets the sea with the sun rising above it. Whilst being entranced by the sight, a sudden loud rumbling sound rang in my ears. I jump up and look around me in a state of panic but only to look down and realise that it was my stomach rumbling.

Sighing in relief that there is no danger around, I walk around to search for some food.

High and low I search but there is nothing. _Maybe they are hiding from me. Have I seen that tree before? Damn I must be going in circles._ Then a lightbulb went off in my head. I tilt my head so I could look at the sky and began climbing the tree that towers over me. On the way up I hit my head off a branch above me and it hurt like hell. I cry out as I clutched my head in pain but then I could see something. Something fabric.

There is a thickly wrapped bandage around my head. _I wonder why that's there? What happened?_

I continue to climb to the top where now I could practically see the whole island. I scan the area for anything that's consumable. I note that there was a ship and I could vaguely see a group gathering in the middle. That's when I could see it.

Black smoke in the distance not to far away. _Black smoke means people which mean they have food right?_

I grin to myself at the thought of eating and decided my destination. Without a care, I jump across the trees whilst descending towards where the black smoke is rising. I found myself progressively running faster and faster suddenly feeling desperate to get there until I stop.

A few feet in front of me a single person chowing down on a mountain of food in front of a campfire. Meat. I observed the person to make sure they were friendly. It's a man and he is wearing black boots, black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, and a blue pouch belted around his left leg. He is wearing a red beaded necklace and an orange hat with two blue smileys, one frowning and one smiling, and a string of red beads sitting above the rim. He is shirtless as well and I could his abs very well and a strange mark on his back.

I take a step closer, but as I did the sound of a stick snapping could be heard and causing the person to whip their head in my direction glaring, mouth filled with glorious food. After a split second of tense eye contact, the other person quickly swallows the food in one gulp and softens their expression.

"Luffy? Hey wasn't expecting to bump into you so soon," the man says turning towards me. _Luffy?_ I glance behind me checking this person wasn't talking to anyone else. Feeling my stomach growl angrily, my gaze turns to the food being left uneaten.

* * *

 **Third Person's P.O.V**

To say that Ace isn't confused would be a lie. He has a goal to track down that traitor Blackbeard but he stops for a quick break. He also has the word that the Strawhat Pirates were somewhere in the area so he knew he might bump into his kid brother.

"Luffy? Hey wasn't expecting to bump into you so soon," Ace says, but then he noticed Luffy's attention was only on his food. Ace put his guard up knowing what Luffy was thinking about and was preparing to defend his food. "Lu-"

"Are you going to eat that? Cause if you aren't I'll have it," Luffy asks. Ace looks a bit dumbfounded for a moment and tries to process what Luffy is saying.

First of all, Luffy asking for the food instead of attempting to take it is a weird sign. Ace thought that maybe his crew had kicked some more manners into him. Second he can get his own food cause this food was Ace's effort.

"You can hunt for your own food," Ace states while turning to continue eating. Luffy pouts before pacing over to Ace and taking a seat.

"But all the food is hiding from me and I don't know where I am," Luffy whines. Giving Luffy a side look Ace offers a chuck of meat larger than his arm to him. A silent approval was given and Luffy accepts graciously.

After a surprisingly calm eating session, they both lay on their backs with their hands on their bloating stomachs. The only sound around them is the wind rustling the leaves of the enormous trees.

"So why is there a bandage around your head?" Ace says nonchalantly placing his arms behind his head. Luffy raises a hand to feel the fabric messily wrapped around his head and thought so hard his face starts turning red.

"Hey don't think so hard otherwise your head will explode," Ace teases, expecting a whiney reaction but nothing. Ace glances over at his kid brother to seeing him look very dazed and confused.

 _When did I even hurt my head? How did I get even here? Why is everything a blur? I can't remember. What's my name again? Do I have friends? Family? Anyone?_

 _Am I alone?_ That's the thought that scared Luffy the most.

"You're being awfully quiet. Something up?" Ace questions, but only silence as a reply. He continues to be in his own world. "Oi Luffy?" Ace shifts closer and waves a hand in front of his face and successfully snapping Luffy out of his trace. That's when Ace notices something was off. Luffy always had some sort of clueless face on but this was different. Much different. He had a face that was confused and dare he say frightened.

"Luffy tell me what's wrong," Ace said softly as to not scare him more. Ace vows that whatever the problem he will try and fix it because only a few things really scare Luffy this much which is what is concerning him. Luffy looks in every direction before his eyes locks with Ace's grey ones. But the next sentence that spews from Luffy's mouth made Ace's heart stop.

"Who's Luffy?"

* * *

 **And that concludes the first ever chapter! From here on out I haven't got a clue of what to write but I know some of you would want more so I'll at least try.**

 **For this story to work I made it a slight AU where Ace takes a lot longer to catch Blackbeard. This is based right before Sabaody.**

 **Anyway hope you enjoyed reading this story and if you would be so kind and Favourite and Follow and if you have anything to say the Reviews are there just for you.**

 **Thank you**

 **xxxxxSxxxxx**


	2. A Secret?

**Hello fellow readers! How nice of you to join me again. I gave a rare treat for you all by giving a 3000 word long chapter!**

 **Warning: Multiple mentions of blood and possibly badly written characters.**

 **In that case, kick back, relax and enjoy, cause here we go.**

* * *

 **In the last chapter**

 _"Luffy tell me what's wrong," Ace said softly as to not scare him more. Ace vows that whatever the problem he will try and fix it because only a few things that really scare Luffy this much which is what is concerning him. Luffy looks in every direction before his eyes locks with Ace's grey ones. But the next sentence that spews from Luffy's mouth made Ace's heart stop._

 _"Who's Luffy?"_

* * *

Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing. Out of all the absurd that leave Luffy's mouth. This has to be a joke right?

"What are you talking about? You're Luffy. Idiot," Ace raises his eyebrow in confusion. The way Luffy was looking at Ace was starting to make him think this is not a joke. But whatever reason got Luffy reacting like that before disappeared completely it seems. Luffy broke eye contact with Ace and stares at his hands with a thoughtful expression.

"Luffy," Luffy says under his breath like he was testing the name out.

 _Luffy? Sounds like it could be my name. If this guy is calling me that he might know who I am! Damn my head is killing me since I woke up._ After a few moments of deafening silence, Luffy restored eye contact with his face displaying hope.

"You called me Luffy which means you know me right? Could you help me?" Luffy asks jumping to his feet startling Ace causing him to fall backwards. The fire user tilts his head in confusion before the reality behind the words really hit him like a truck.

"Wait you said that like you don't remember me. Y-You know who I am right?" Ace pleads almost desperately hoping for the answer that deep down he knows he's not getting.

His precious sunshine forgetting about him would be so...well, it's so bad there are no words. Luffy taps his head a couple of times before his face drops realising he did not know. _This is starting to really hurt now._

 _Why am I so dizzy all of a sudden?_

"I'm sorry but I don't know who you are," Luffy answers looking really guilty.

Ace looked devastated was an understatement and Luffy could see but he felt a pang of guilt in his chest because he can't understand why this stranger is this upset. Luffy shuffles over to where Ace was currently having a conflict with himself and attempts to comfort him.

Suddenly, Luffy let out a sound of pain he was trying to hold back. Ace slowly turns his head around and met a pair of dark eyes filling up fast with tears of pain. Luffy clamps his eyes shut and grasps his head with both hands. Ace shaking himself out of the shock and lays Luffy down onto his lap, examining him to see what could be the problem.

In discomfort, Luffy continuously squirms, hand hovering above his head like he's afraid to make it worse.

"Where does it hurt?" Ace demands to slip into a calm mode to distract himself from his sunshine suffering. Just looking at Luffy he could already guess what's wrong but he has to be sure.

"M-My head. I don't why but it just keeps hurting more and more" Luffy grits his teeth.

Ace's full attention went straight to his head. The fire user was awfully suspicious when he first saw the bandage wrapped around his little brother's head but at that time he assumed it wasn't a big deal. Gathering up the courage, Ace sucked up a long breath and starts to peel back the bandage. As soon as it was lifted slightly, a few stray drops of blood cascade down into Luffy's pain filled eyes and down his face giving the look of tears.

"Please make it stop," Luffy begs so softly it was practically a whisper. Ace's eyes widen as his protective instincts kicked in. Leaning backwards, he made a grab for his bag and frantically searches through it for anything at all. What a fruitless search, he had absolutely nothing.

"Dammit!" Out of frustration on the situation, Ace punches the ground hard resulting in Luffy flinching.

"Sorry, look I can't help but let go find someone who can," Ace apologises.

Seeing as he cannot help Luffy with lack of resources, he picks him up into a piggyback and made sure he is secured properly before taking off in a random direction. Grey eyes narrowed with determination to get his sunshine some help, he pushed himself the fastest he can run. So deep in concentration, he nearly misses Luffy speak.

"I remember climbing a tree and seeing a ship before maybe they could help?" Luffy advises causing Ace to realise that was an actual good idea and skids to a sudden reckless stop, ending with Luffy seeing stars.

Sending an apology look, Ace weighs his options and quickly made the decision to scale the enormous tree with Luffy on his back. Placing his orange hat on top of Luffy's head to protect it from further harm, he ascends the tree with practised ease and spotted the ship Luffy was referring to before, thanking stars it's not far away. With the use of his devil fruit powers, Ace jumps from the tree and slows his descent and bolts in the location of the ship.

"Oi are you okay back there? Please hang on a little longer for me. We are nearly there," And as if the world wanted him to suffer more, Luffy became unconscious and went limp in his grasp.

He didn't even know he could even run faster but apparently, so he can. All his thoughts start spiralling out of control in Ace's head.

 _What the hell is going on? Why doesn't remember me? Why didn't I notice the state he was in earlier?_

 _If only I had SOMETHING than this won't be that bad. Why am I so goddamn useless! I should win an award for worst brother ever. I wish Sabo were here now he would know what to do. Come to think of it we have done this before. That bear from Mt. Colubo._ Unknowingly to the fire user, tears trickled down his face.

Unfortunately whilst running, Ace miraculously trips on a tree root (Ace wants to believe but it was actually air.) causing the duo to fly. Twisting so he could protect his brother only ended with Ace faceplanting the ground and sliding a couple of yards. If this was any other time Ace would feel angry and embarrassed but all he is feeling at the moment is an intense worry for his kid brother.

Forcing his head off the ground, Ace stared forward to see the ship was RIGHT THERE. The ship seemed very large compared to the one he saw in Alabasta but still small compared to the Moby Dick. For the figurehead, it appears to be a lion with a stylized mane with two crossbones behind it in the manner of a Jolly Roger.

What he also noticed was a presumably an eight-foot skeleton looking startled at them. The skeleton's clothes was that of a gentleman consisting of a coat, top hat and trousers, which were black, The cravat that was tied in between their coat and around their neck was blue. They also carried a purple cane. The weirdest thing was their afro...

"This skeleton has an afro? What in the world?" Ace thought aloud. Without warning the skeleton lent a hand to help Ace to his feet but Ace remains still.

"You nearly scared me to death, though I'm already dead. Yohohoho," The towering skeleton jokes.

Ace would have jumped fifty feet in the air if it weren't for a certain black-haired kid brother on his back. Speaking of Luffy, the gentleman skeleton's 'eyes?' lingered on the pale teen's shadowed face, wondering what is wrong. That is until they seemed to recognise him and with that, the skeleton became immediately hostile.

Out of nowhere, a sword was placed underneath Ace's chin making him look up into the glare that he was receiving. Normally Ace would have let the sword pass through him being a logia type yet he is not risking anything while Luffy was in range.

Despite having a flame logia devil fruit, the skeleton's soulless eye sockets sent the chills of the underworld right down his back and promises death if not obliged to obey his demands.

"My name is Brook and I am apart of the Strawhat Pirates. If you do not pass my captain over, they will be fates worse then death in store for you," Brook threatens.

Ace sweatdropped, thinking of all the things they would do to him. He snaps out of it when he feels drops of warm liquid trickle down from his shoulder to his fingertips. Without even seeing it he already knew what it was and starts panicking slighting inside.

"Brook right? Luffy needs help right now so we can't be wasting any more time!" Ace quickly but gently hands his little brother over to Brook who seemed to be thrown off guard. Carrying Luffy in bridal style, Brook turned around and took a couple of steps before glancing behind at Ace.

"I'll be back, so stay here," With that said Brook took one more step and he jumps high enough to land on the ship, leaving Ace staring at the spot Brook landed and waits for his return.

* * *

The Strawhat Pirates were uncharacteristically quiet and the reason being their currently missing captain. Not so long ago they got caught and forced into battle at sea with the marines and when they regrouped they were missing Luffy and Sanji. A while later Sanji appeared on the island they were temporary docked at, barely standing and when asked questions about what happened and where's Luffy he couldn't reply.

Even though they continued with their normal roles, it wasn't with the same enthusiasm. Zoro is training in the crows nest concentrating on trying to lift weight four times bigger than himself, despite Chopper telling him to rest from Thriller Bark. Sanji is cooking another delicious breakfast in the kitchen minding the small wounds littered all over his body.

Next door, Chopper is studying through books adding more knowledge to apply for future injuries. Nami is currently on the island finishing up on her map. Robin sitting at the aquarium bar observing the fish swim in circles all around her. Usopp and Franky were in Franky's Weapon Development Room exchanging ideas. Brook decided he wanted to go for a walk on the island.

Sanji is getting distracted by his thoughts and it was obvious. Almost sprinkling sugar on the food instead of salt was a definite indicator that he needed a quick break to just clear his mind. Just as he was about to leave, he heard rapid light footsteps approaching the door with no signs of slowing down.

Sanji sidesteps in time as the door flew open revealing Brook's back. Sanji opened his mouth to start a lecture but quickly shut it the moment Brook spun around. In his arms is his captain lying limp and eyes shadowed by an orange hat which he is sure he recognises. The scary part was Luffy was far too pale also the way he was out cold you would presume he is dead.

"Chopper!" Sanji shouted to the reindeer in the next room desperately. Not even seconds, Chopper burst through the other door in his Heavy Point form and starts scanning the room.

The moment Chopper laid his eyes on Luffy's lifeless body, his expression changes from concerned to horror.

"Luffy!" Chopper yells instantly by Luffy's side.

Knowing his job was done, Brook carefully places Luffy into Chopper's arms and turns to leave to interrogate the person who had their captain while Sanji followed behind without taking his eyes off Luffy.

On the other hand, Chopper went straight to the infirmary and delicately positions Luffy on the bed. With a great resolve, the reindeer changes his personality to his doctor mode and starts working. The doctor begins by speedily wash his hands thoroughly and put latex gloves on ready to go. Removing the hat and blood-soaked bandage from around Luffy's head, Chopper made a mental checklist.

 _Being unconscious is a bad sign. The cause most likely being blood loss. There is a rather large cut stretching diagonally from the left side of his forehead up into his hairline._ _There is also an enormous bruise covering the majority of the forehead seems to be healing nicely. I got to check and remove any objects from the wound._ Chopper checks off one objective from his list when he searches for any potential objects, however, he could not find anything.

Next, I must apply pressure for fifteen minutes to try to stop the bleeding. Grabbing the gauze from the cupboard and placing it onto the wound, the doctor made note of the time and waited.

Meanwhile, Sanji follows Brook closely behind, mind more all over the place than it was before.

"Wait for a second Brook, where did you even find him?" Sanji questions and without even glancing behind, Brook answers.  
"I was finishing my little wander around when suddenly this man I didn't recognise came flying out of nowhere with Luffy on his back."

Sanji felt a slight bit of anger hearing this man might have been the person who hurt Luffy. They reach the edge of the ship and peak over the railing to see a man staring at his blood covered arms and hands crying but with an angry expression.

Sanji's thoughts flashed back to the hat he saw before and made the connection with this man. With practised ease, he swiftly grabs his lighter and cigarette packet and lit the end before taking a long drag.

"Oi, you're Luffy's brother, Ace right?" With that Ace shifts his gaze towards the two crewmembers.

* * *

The Strawhat Pirates, minus Chopper, all gather in the kitchen listening intently to the story Ace just started on why he was here and where he found their captain.

"When he found me, he wasn't acting like himself at all. To add salt to the wound he was hurt and lost" Ace hangs his head, eyes downcast. The Strawhat Pirates held different reactions varying from shock to anger and concern. However, Zoro is watching Sanji's reactions carefully. He notices Sanji's nervous body language but covered it up with more concern.

"If I ever find the bastard who hurt my brother..." Ace trails off, understanding Brook's words from their previous encounter and feeling the same way. At that second, Chopper left the infirmary in Brain Point form wiping over his hooves with a dry towel.

"Do you mind coming with me for a few minutes Ace, I have a few questions I need answers to," Chopper says heading back into the sick bay before halting in his place.

"Sanji you too," And with that closes the door behind himself.

Ace and Sanji briefly made eye contact, shrugged shoulders and stood up to go into the sick bay. Upon entering, Chopper twirls around to face them in his favourite swivel chair. However, the fire user's and cook's eyes were locked on the person tucked in the bed. Chopper has done such a great job, Luffy looks perfectly fine minus the new clean bandage back around his head.

"These following questions are to help me conclude to a better diagnosis so anything you can think that could help would be appreciated. Don't you worry there won't be that many questions," Chopper states and the duo nod. The doctor reaches for the notepad and pencil ready to write down anything useful.

"Ace when did Luffy become unconscious? That is if you know round about times," Chopper starts, head down and hovering the pencil above the paper. Ace took a minute to think before coming to an answer.

"I think about 3 minutes before bumping into Brook, doctor" Ace replies. Chopper begins scribbling.

"Can you recall if Luffy said anything about anything that happened before finding you?" Chopper lifts his head for a second before back down again.

"Yes, he said he remembered climbing a tree and saw this ship so I took the chance in coming here because at the time I didn't know it was his own ship," more scribbles.

"A good gamble indeed. Last question. Did he seem dazed and/or suspiciously confused at any point?" the reindeer points the pencil towards Ace, who answers this the quickest.

"Yes, I asked him about the bandage and his kind of disconnected from the world..." Ace trails off. Chopper took note of this hesitation whilst placing his notepad on his lap.

"Is there something else that you care to add?" Chopper asks softly knowing there is more. Ace gaze moves to the bed where his unconscious brother lay. It really unnerved him how still and quiet Luffy was being.

Normally he would be moving and be snoring in the most obnoxiously loud way possible. Yet he remained the opposite. Without Ace's permission, the image of Luffy looking confused and frightened took over his brain.

"Yes, doctor. When he was in his dazed state, he started to look... Scared" Chopper takes some last notes before finishing up with the notepad.  
"Okay Ace that's all, for now, thank you. Sadly I can't make an official diagnosis until he wakes up" Chopper signals Ace to leave who looked reluctant to do so but complied. Once the door closes over, Chopper rotates around to face Sanji.

"Since you went missing alongside Luffy, do you know what might have happened to cause this" Chopper watches as Sanji tenses up at that question and opens his mouth but quickly shuts it. He took on a more thoughtful expression.

"No Chopper I haven't got a clue, I just woke up on this island after the battle" Chopper seems to be troubled by this. But he could say anything more, Sanji sniffed the air realizing he still was cooking, not that he was burning anything. Taking quick steps to leave he pauses.

"I need to cook food for everyone. It'll be fine, after all, you are the best doctor ever" Sanji says with a big smile on his face.

Chopper visibly brightens and did this weird little dance thing he did when he got complimented. Shutting the door behind him while Chopper repeated 'I'm not happy you bastard' and strides to his kitchen to serve food.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Sanji smiled as he expertly balances plates of food ready to be eaten.

 _Should I tell them the truth?_

* * *

 **And that the end of this chapter!** **I'm kinda surprised this came out of my mind really quickly, normally it's hard to write anything. I don't do deadlines only publish when inspiration strikes me so don't be surprised this don't update regularly.**

 **I like to thank this random person for checking over this chapter.**

 **Anyway hope you enjoyed reading this story and if you would be so kind and Favourite and Follow and if you have anything to say the Reviews are there just for you.**

 **Thank you**

 **xxxxxSxxxxx**


	3. Discovery

**Hello fellow readers! You know when I said last chapter that it's a rare treat to get 3000 words? Well, I somehow ended up with a chapter containing over 5000 words!**

 **As mentioned in the last chapter at the bottom** **, I don't have an update schedule because things happen that's out of my control plus writer's block sometimes.**

 **Warning: My writing tends to make the characters go out of character.**

 **In that case, kick back, relax and enjoy, cause here we go.**

* * *

The day passed quicker than anyone noticed. Most likely because they are at ease knowing their captain is in safe hands. The sun set early, leaving a blanket of stars stretching across the inky black cloudless sky, the moonlight dimly illuminating everything it touches. At the railing stood a figure gazing towards the sky above, freckles standing out with the pale glowing light of a full moon. That's when another figure approaches the railing. A moment of peaceful silence falls upon the two, with the only sounds of the chilling wind ruffling their hair and the Sunny's boards creaking softly as the ship rocked gently with the rolling waves.

"The sky is rather beautiful tonight. Wouldn't you say Ace?" The figure asks, gently breaking that comfortable quiet that surrounded them. Without even turning his head, he allowed his lips to curve upwards as he gave a small nod to show he acknowledged the question.

"You know, no matter how many times I look at it, it always seems to be as wonderful as the last," Ace continues staring with awe until his thoughts flashback to his childhood, where himself and Luffy would find a place where no trees blocked the sky and they would stargaze for hours on end together. Though Luffy always seemed to spot food when it came to searching for constellations. The picture of Luffy currently began to barge into his mind, forcing him to remember that Luffy has forgot about those times.

"Hm?" The figure sensing the emotion change, gave an attempt to get Ace to elaborate. Didn't quite work however it did distract him from his thought. Giving a glance to his left, he sees Robin, who is the archaeologist of Luffy's crew.

He recalled his meeting of introducing each other, old and new, earlier on that day. They even let him read the ship's log but he only skimmed through the events that he read about in the newspapers. He knew the World Government were lying when they said this crew destroyed Enies Lobby without a good reason. The real story that happened on why they were really there had made his heart flutter. To be honest here, Luffy would of destroyed an island, if it meant his friends were safe and sound, he knows this is true because himself and his crew would do the same for Luffy.

He were also interested on how Luffy gained each of his crew members to join him despite his recklessness and personality. Ace was not let down at all on how he achieved these feats and felt astonished on how he ended up with a brother like him.

"It's funny, after meeting the crew then and now, Luffy can make friends with anyone he meets and won't stop until they are happy," Ace took a pause to look towards the direction his sunshine is sleeping before adding in a whisper "Including me,"

Silence loomed over the deck whilst the duo echoed the words that were spoken in their minds, nodding at the how true the words are.

* * *

Inside the infirmary lay Monkey D Luffy, sleeping soundly in a warm and comfy bed. Unfortunately, Chopper had to leave to use the bathroom so he didn't realise his captain were about to wake up. Behind his closed eyelids, Luffy could see a bright light above his head and relied on his other senses. _Smells clean and fresh._ Luffy clutched the fabric underneath. _I'm in a bed?_ Fluttering his eyes open, the light above his head blinds him forcing him to let his head roll to the right side. Once used to the light, he began to examine the room he is in.

The walls surrounding him were wooden as well as the desk and cabinet which were full of medicine. Tucked neatly under the desk is a blueish, green swivel chair. There were pictures hung on the wall however the one that got his attention was the signed one above the desk. It was signed by someone called Sogeking. There were also two doors with a small circular window on each, one door in front which seems to lead outside and one door behind him. Not recognising the place, Luffy attempted to remember how he got were he is but with no such luck. Then his eyes fell upon the orange hat that hung from the corner bed post.

That's when he remembered. The pain. The what seemed like a long journey. _That guy, what's his name again? He found help for me like he said he would._ Luffy smiled gratefully at that thought. He sat up and with a loose grip placed the hat on his lap. _I better return this hat to him, it's the least I can do._ And with that thought he prepared himself to leave the bed. Throwing the thin white sheet and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Luffy failed to hear the footsteps that passed by the door. That said, someone peaked inside on of the small windows and came through the door on the other side of the room. The first thing Luffy notes is that his hair is green as grass. They both blink at one another before green haired guy sighed in relief, small smile painted across his face.

"Luffy, you're up! Wait here, I'll get Chopper," with four quick strides, he is out the door behind Luffy. Moments later, entering through the same door the green haired guy left the infirmary, a strange looking creature skipped in joyfully. Their eyes met with each other and whilst the creature smiled brightly, Luffy could only comprehend what it is. _Reindeer._ That thought popped in his head and he decided that sounded right. Upon closer inspection, Luffy spotted this 'reindeer' has a blue nose. _I didn't know reindeer's have blue noses. Or do they?_ In the middle of thinking the blue nosed reindeer leaps upon the swivel chair and slides over to the bed.

"Hey Luffy, it's good to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" Chopper asks but to his surprise, he got an unusual reaction from his captain. With a startled yelp, Luffy's eyes widens as he speedily shuffles backwards, hitting the wall and clung to it like his life depended on it. _NO WAY! THE REINDEER JUST TALKED!_ The doctor brought his hooves to his head and scratched it with confusion. _Was it my imagination?_ Luffy couldn't say anything and just stared in disbelief. This only lasted a few seconds before the silence was broken.

"Y-You talked, didn't you?" Luffy questions, unsure himself if he heard right. Chopper didn't miss the stutter in his captain's voice so he took on one of his possible conclusions he made earlier. Leaning forward in his chair, Chopper mentally constructed the questions to confirm his theory.

"Yes I did. Tell me, do you know where you are right now?" For a brief second, Luffy scans the room for anything that was remotely recognisable. With a shake of his head, Luffy gazed into the reindeer's eyes with a look that said 'should I?'. Sighing, the reindeer prepares the next question yet already knowing the answer.

"Do you know who I am?" Although Luffy tries his hardest to think of any connection, any at all, all it achieves is a increasingly red face. With another shake of the head, Luffy watches as the reindeer's facial expression drop into a frown and eyes saddening. The sight hit a cord inside Luffy and without hesitation went to give a comforting hug. Chopper pressed his face into Luffy's chest and embraced the hug even deeper like the other was gonna disappear. "Luffy,"

"Though I can't remember you Mr. Reindeer, you seem to be quite close to me and I hope I remember you soon, because you are pretty cool," Luffy sports a small smile, aimed to cheer the reindeer up. It worked wonderfully because it seems to have sparked determination in him to fix the problem with everything he's got.

"My name is Chopper and I am the doctor on this ship. I got a few questions that I need you to answer to the best of your ability. Can you do that for me?" Feeling the determined vibe evaporating off the now dubbed Chopper, Luffy nodded eagerly to start.

 **20 minutes later**

During that time, many questions were asked regarding his memory and it upset him how much he apparently is supposed to remember. Chopper left a few minutes before saying about doing something so Luffy was left alone again. He really didn't like being alone and was tempted to leave. A minute of pondering passed and the door swung open revealing Chopper.

"I wanna do a couple more things but I wanted to try something first" Chopper gestures Luffy to follow him and without question Luffy obliges. Exiting the infirmary through Luffy now knows is the kitchen door, Luffy spots the green haired guy from before drinking a bottle of alcohol and a blonde guy with curly eyebrows cooking delicious smelling food. Mouth already watering like a waterfall, Luffy slowed his steps to appreciate it that little bit more. Of course Chopper noticed and nudged Luffy along. "Evaluation then food okay?"

"Dinner will be done in fifteen or so, I'm doing everyone's favourites," Sanji stated with a big smile. To Sanji's and Zoro's relief, Luffy is acting like he normally does so they waved off any concerns they might of had the moment they knew he woke up. As soon as they step outside, a chilling breeze forcibly makes its way past Luffy, causing him to hug himself in attempt to warm up. Given the fact Luffy was only wearing a red buttoned up cardigan, short blue trousers and no sandals, they are not surprised at all that he's cold. Not even a second past when a black, double-breasted jacket is thrown over Luffy's shoulders and a glass of water in hand.

"That should keep you warmer, better than what you're were wearing anyway, plus you look like you need something to drink," Sanji says turning back to the food. Zoro appeared to be as shocked as he felt after that action, he felt a snarky comment burning on the edge of his tongue.

"Since when were you so nice to Luffy huh?" Zoro teases, swigging a drink from the bottle in hand. Sanji immediately stops what he was doing to face the smirk plastered onto Zoro's face, who knew he successfully provoked him.

"I can be nice when I want to be, Marimo," Sanji teases back. Zoro lost the smirk and slams his hands down onto the table, pushing himself up to level with his newfound irritation.

"What did you call me Curly Brows,"

"I called you Marimo, idiot, also stop drinking the whole supply of sake," You could practically see the electricity between the glare they were giving each other. Luffy and Chopper took this opportunity to leave and finish the task they started.

"I'm guessing you don't know who they are?" Chopper says sadly, going down the stairs on the left side of them. When Luffy heard that voice, he felt too guilty to answer with words knowing his voice would give it away easily. Crossing the moonlit deck, Luffy took the time to examine around the massive ship. Under his bare feet were soft green grass that tickles in between his toes as he walks. There is a swing and a slide to his right in which the swing is occupied by a skeleton?

 _What's next? A guy wearing only speedos? This place is weird, but I like it._ Listening carefully to his surroundings, he can hear humming in the wind. _Wait no, that's not the wind._ He turns back towards the skeleton, who is now swinging, and figures out that the skeleton is the source of music.

Following Chopper into one of the rooms and leaving the skeleton alone, Luffy found himself face to face with another person. This person had a bandage around their head with black hair poking from underneath it and a scar under their right eye. They seemed to stare right back at him in an unnerving way.

"Luffy that's a mirror. Do you recognise yourself?" Chopper points to the mirror. Raising his left hand to feel the bandages and scar, he watched as the mirror copied and inverted his every motion perfectly.

 _This can't be. This is me. B-But I can't make the connection. It's all blank._ Luffy's senses decrease to a small circumference around himself, the mirror and Chopper. The reindeer doctor observes Luffy as he begins to shake violently with tears springing in his eyes. Foreseeing the mental state Luffy is in now, Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point Form and wrapped his arms around the smaller figure to stop any potential harm from happening. Unfortunately, it was short lived when the glass Luffy was holding cracked and smashed under the pressure he was applying to it, sending shards flying everywhere and indenting into Luffy's hands.

What worried Chopper though was the lack of reaction to the pain. His captain's face abandoned all emotion into a perfect poker face. Chopper disliked this face because it's near impossible to tell what he's thinking and that alone is dangerous.

"Will my memory ever come back doctor?" The tone it was said in almost made Chopper's heart break however now after this he is positive in what to do to fix it.

"Of course it will but it may take time so you must be patient," Chopper assures. Knowing Luffy isn't the most patient person in the world, the journey of recovery will be difficult but the crew always pulled through in the end. Luffy had helped everyone on the crew, and to hell they are gonna stand by while Luffy is going through his troubles alone.

"Come on, let go back to treat your hands,"

* * *

"After this diagnosis, I have finally have come to a conclusion that makes sense. Luffy has a strange case of amnesia, which I can't figure out which category this case should be classed into unfortunately. Luffy has shown mostly retrograde amnesia during diagnosis, however, it goes a little deeper than just that. He had a mirror reflection test and he couldn't recall his own appearance, leaving me to believe he had hysterical/dissociative amnesia as well. For those of you who do not know, retrograde amnesia is when you can't remember what happened before the trauma but they can remember everything after. Hysterical/dissociative amnesia is when the not only forget their past but their very identity, they could wake up and have no sense who they are. Luckily, in most cases of amnesia, it resolves itself and can come back as quickly as a day." After announcing a meeting in the kitchen, Chopper reveals his theory that is now been proven true. The crew listen closely, hanging onto every detail that spews out of Chopper's mouth like a brilliant story is being told.

"One possible known cause of trauma is a blunt force straight to the front of his head, resulting traumatic amnesia as my first speculation. Although it's unknown at the moment, it's possible that psychological trauma played a part in this, given the other types on amnesia Luffy has shown," Chopper points to the front of Luffy's head, who was staring pleadingly at the plates of food ready to be served by Curly Eyebrows.

"Sorry I couldn't come up with a better answer, this case was quite hard to figure out so I cut it down to the three most possible conclusions," Chopper hangs his head almost ashamedly at his lack of knowledge on this subject, though the crew thought otherwise.

"No Chopper, you did your best and we can always count on you" Nami moves to raise the reindeer's head with her hand, effectively gaining eye contact.

"Luffy will be better in no time because we have the best doctor ever" Robin smiles kindly, listening to everybody chorus a agreement with those comments that were clearly a fact. It didn't take long before Chopper smiles brightly and starts his little dance.

"Shut up, that doesn't make me happy at all, you bastards," Chopper froze mid dance when a valid thought came to mind.

"Oh yeah this also means that he doesn't remember who you guys are so I suggest you introduce yourselves again," Chopper advises to the crew. They start to introduce themselves in no particular order. Luffy changes his attention over to the many people surrounding the table.

"Zoro, your swordsman," The green haired guy from earlier raised his arm.

"The name's Franky, your SUPER shipwright," This guy jumps up and strikes a pose. _I was kidding earlier when I said about a guy wearing speedos..._

"Hello, I'm Robin, your archaeologist," This woman placed her book she was reading down and gave a small wave.

"I'm Usopp, your awesome sniper," This long nosed guy points to himself with his thumb.

"Luffy-san, I am Brook, your musician, Yohohoho!" Picking up a violin from nowhere, the VERY tall skeleton plays a few notes to emphasise 'musician'.

"I'm Nami and I'm your navigator," The orange haired woman gestured to the weird looking compass on her wrist.

"Hey I'm Sanji, I'm your cook," Curly Eyebrows flipped some food that was still cooking on a pan into to the air and landed perfectly on the plate.

"I'm your brother, Portgas D Ace," Luffy gives a very noticeable pause, finding comparisons between himself and Ace, however since he doesn't know enough, he leaves it.

"And I'm Tony Tony Chopper, you already know I'm the doctor," Luffy nods. Looking at his closed fists, he counts up on his hands, going through everybody. Starting with his left hand thumb and ending on his right hand ring finger.

"Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook," The crew noted that Luffy named them in the order they officially joined the crew, though to their dismay, Luffy did not realise this.

"Ace," Satisfied with his counting, he whips his head towards Sanji, opens his mouth wide and takes a deep breath. By this point Sanji has already caught on what he's about to say.

"On it, Captain" With that said the food was served with a confident stride. The second the dishes were placed down, everyone made a grab for the nearest ones in a frantic manner. Well, everyone besides one. Luffy tilts his head to the side at the panic in front of him and gave a small laugh that rung throughout the Strawhat's ears. The laughing suddenly ceased, gaining the attention of every person in the room. Their captain face transitions from a smile to a unreadable face, eyes appearing to be glassy and unseeing.

 _He was in a forest, devouring a mountain of piled food, more frantic than he saw with the people before. To his left was an old man chewing down of a large chunk of meat, matching the speed he was eating. The old man kept shifting his eyes between his food and Luffy._

 _"Listen up! You never know when you'll be called into battle! So when you eat, you have to eat as much as you can! This is another important part of being a marine! Remember it well, Luffy!" The old man lectured loudly. Straight after that comment, Luffy felt himself speak though he couldn't comprehend what he had said._

The video in Luffy's mind disappears, allowing him to return back to reality, however waiting for him is a waving hoof three inches from his face. Luffy blinks twice at this and attempts to recollect the past minute. Everybody else in the room leans closer in anticipation, ready for anything that will happen. The tense atmosphere is eliminated when Luffy let a smile grace upon his face, leaving the others to release a breath they didn't even know they were holding.

"I think... I think I remembered something," Luffy says as he clings onto the memory with growing excitement. That excitement washed over the Thousand Sunny like a giant wave, spreading onto all of the Strawhat's contagiously. With a newfound resolve, the Strawhat crew knocked their drinks together with a silent vow exchanged between themselves.

Once again, the food session continued as crazily as it was before but this time Luffy is included into the mess. Even though he wasn't stealing food, his bottomless pit and speed devouring still remained regardless, bringing a sense of normalcy to them that was missing for what felt like a while.

"Oi, Sanji," Luffy calls out while munching down on some food, effectively grabbing the cook's attention and watches him swiftly move over to his side. "Earlier you called me captain, why's that?"

"Because you are Monkey D Luffy, captain of the Strawhat Pirates which we are the crewmembers," Without hesitation, Sanji replied whilst setting down another three plates onto the table. Even though they were eating, the crew kept an ear on Luffy, intrigued by what his reaction might be.

"Pirate? I thought I was a marine or something. The old man in my memory said so," Choking could be heard throughout the kitchen as three out of the ten people present desperately attempt to catch their breath. Those people being Ace, Zoro and Usopp. Even Luffy feels wrong saying that but that's what he remembers apparently.

"Marine that's crazy!" Usopp raised his arms in fright.

"A-Are you talking about Gramps?" Ace breathed out, still pounding his chest to force the food down. Luffy could only shrug in response. Simultaneously, the crew sighs in unison.

The crew knows they have a long way to go to fix this mess of memories, though they all will do anything in their power to see their captain back to normal again.

* * *

The moon ascends high into the sky as clocks strike midnight. Brook, Chopper, Nami and Robin all sleep soundly in their cabins without a disturbance. You could count Zoro too, who is napping in the aquarium bar. In the infirmary is Usopp and Luffy and the former telling exaggerated stories of adventures.

"There, in front of me, were one hundred thousand men ready to attack! However, with a blink of an eye, fifty thousand of those men dropped like flies when I unleashed my special attack!" Usopp tells the story dramatically, waving his arms to get his point across. On the other hand, Luffy is currently sucked into the story, clinging onto every word like his life depended on it. Seeing a pleasant reaction, Usopp continued.

"Suddenly, I got backed into a corner with no hope of escape!" Moving his arm to cover his eyes in attempt to express hopelessness. Luffy inches closer with his fists clenched in anticipation. Usopp takes a very agonisingly long pause. Unable to wait very long, Luffy did a inpatient hum.

"What happens, tell me!" Luffy grabbed Usopp by the shoulders and shook them, although it didn't seem to affect him. After a second of silence passes, Usopp takes a sharp inhale through his long nose.

"They step closer and closer, pointing their life ending weapons towards me!" Another brief pause. Luffy looked ready to explode.

"The man closest to me lifted up his oversized axe, aiming to decapitate my head" Usopp raises his arm behind himself and acts out what he says. "He swings the axe down at neck breaking speeds and-!"

"Ah there you are Usopp-bro!" Usopp immediately stops his attack, his invisible axe centimetres from connecting with Luffy's neck. Luffy though throws an offended look towards the person who dared interrupt Usopp's story.

"Hey Franky, was just keeping Luffy company, What's up?" Usopp asks as he let the 'axe' slip from his grasp.

"I know it's late but I've been close on getting something super to work and I want your opinion" Franky leans against the wall casually. Usopp rotates his head between Luffy and Franky making a decision.

"Well it is late and Luffy needs his rest" Usopp says as he prepares to leave until he feels a hand grab his own.

"Wait, what about the story?! You just left it on a cliffhanger!" Luffy whines. With that Usopp almost changes his mind though sticks with what he said before.

"I can tell you the rest tomorrow but right now you need to rest otherwise Chopper will get on my case," Luffy accepts this answer and reluctantly releases his hold on Usopp. The two exit the room with a wave leaving Luffy alone to his own devices. One thing Luffy knows for sure is that he hates being alone. _Being alone is much worse than getting hurt_. Luffy blinks. _Where did that thought come from?_ Unexpectedly, the room begin to change into a forest around him.

 _Once again he was in a forest, though this time there was no food but two people holding pipes in front of him. His vision is blurry as he heard himself speak._

 _"That was so scary! I thought I was gonna die!" Luffy wails. The other black haired kid dug his pipe into the ground in irritation and screamed in anger._

 _"You're so annoying! Shut up! How long are you gonna keep crying?! I really hate weaklings and crybabies!" The kid yelled and immediately Luffy stopped crying. This caught both kids off guard. Then Luffy bowed forward._

 _"Thank you... For..." The two looked at each other in confusion. Luffy tried hard to fight tears but they flooded out anyway "For saving me..."_

 _"Why, you..." The black haired kid got angry again and looked as if he was gonna punch Luffy if the blonde haired kid hadn't stopped him._

 _"Come on, now... He's just thanking us," The blonde kid attempted to calm the other kid down. Luffy managed to get stop the river of tears._

 _"Anyway, why didn't you tell them?! Those guys would kill women and children without a second thought!" The freckled kid demanded to know._

 _"If I'd told them... I could never be your friend," Luffy replied softly. Though the kid wouldn't take that as a good answer and raised his finger to lecture Luffy._

 _"That'd be better than dying, right? Why do you want to be my friend so much, anyway?" Luffy's eyes were shadowed by the strawhat he was wearing, making his expression hard to read._

 _"Because..." Luffy said brokenly, not moving an inch from his spot._

 _"After all the stuff I put you through... Why did you still follow me out here?!" The kid continued like he didn't hear him the first time. Luffy clenched his fists tighter._

 _"Because..." Luffy said a little stronger than before. Luffy lifts his head, revealing his snot nosed face._

 _"Because there isn't anybody else! I can't return to Windmill Village, and I hate those mountain bandits... if I didn't chase after you, I'd be all alone! Being alone is much worse than getting hurt!"_ _The freckled kid looked slightly taken back by this outburst._

 _"What about your parents?" The kid's face appeared angry but his voice seemed reluctant._

 _"Just Grandad, nobody else," Luffy didn't even hesitate to say. A moment of silence passed._

 _"It isn't so bad when I'm here?"_

 _"Right" Luffy nodded._

 _"And it'd be bad if I wasn't here?" Luffy nodded again. The black haired boy's eyes shadowed over. His grip tightening on the pipe. Glaring at the strawhat wearing boy as to dare him to say anything bad._

 _"You want me to live?" It was Luffy's turn to be taken back._

 _"Of course I do!" Luffy said confidently._

 _"I see," He turns away from Luffy, "But still, I hate spoiled kids like you,"_ _Jumping from his spot, Luffy landed behind the freckled kid._

 _"I'm not spoiled! I'm strong!" Luffy said assertively. The other kid turns around with a little irritation._

 _"Strong? How are you strong?! You're supposed to be a man but you keep crying all the time!" He taunts Luffy causing him to snap._

 _"Have you ever been punched with a spiked glove?! I'm only seven! I won't cry when I become a ten-year-old like you! I'll be much stronger!" Luffy snapped. The other kid head butts Luffy and stays like that in attempt to intimidate the other._

 _"I didn't cry when I was seven either. You idiot! Don't compare yourself to me!" The freckled kid argued back. Since Luffy is shorter, he went on the balls of his feet to try size the other up._

 _"I'm gonna be stronger than anyone else! I promised Shanks that I'd become a great pirate!" They continued to push each other over while the blonde haired, top hat wearing kid stood on the sidelines and observed while waiting for the fighting to end._

 _"A pirate?! You?!"_

 _"That's right!"_

 _"As if!"_

 _"I'm gonna be one!" Electric could be seen generated between the piercing glare they were giving each other. That's when the blonde haired kid stepped in to separate the two._

 _"Okay, that's enough,"_

The memory ends there. Same as before, a hand is waving in front of him. Snapping out of his perplexed state, he notices the persons hand is Sanji's.

"Oi, you alright? You spaced out again. Did you remember something?" Sanji settles himself down on the edge of the bed. Luffy nods, however, the gesture alone brings great pain he didn't notice before. Clutching his head, as if willing the pain to stop, Luffy felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Here take these. Chopper told me to give them to you if you felt any pain," The cook hands over a tall glass of cool water and a tablet.

"Thank you," Luffy gratefully takes the tablet and wastes no time getting it into his system. With one gulp, it is gone. Knowing it might take a while to kick in, Luffy relaxes himself into a comfortable laying position.

"I only came to see if you needed anything before I go to sleep, I'll be awake in five hours anyway to cook for your bottomless pits," Sanji gets up ready to leave but hesitates for a moment at the door, given the impression that he wants to say something.

"Hey Sanji, I feel like crap," Luffy bluntly says, causing the cook to whip around ready to help with anything.

"How so?" Sanji retakes his seat urging his captain to elaborate a little. Though once the words left his lips, Luffy's expression darkened, creating a cautious feeling to spread in Sanji.

"You guys seem important to me, and since I can't remember you, I feel l-like..." Luffy's eyes fill with unshed tears, ready to fall with or without command, "I-I feel like I'm betraying everything we stand for! Like all our hopes a-and dreams we shared don't matter anymore since I can't remember them!"

The waterworks start flowing down both sides of his face and into his ears. It happens so unexpectedly, Sanji is taken back and at a loss of what to do. He only knows how to comfort ladies, he never really had to comfort men before so he settles on stroking Luffy's messy hair. It seemingly works as he begins to calm down and even leaning in for more. The interaction between the two is so distracting that they didn't even notice when someone slips into the room with them.

Ace watches the scene from afar in fascination. When himself and Luffy were younger and Luffy would get wound up, he would use that method. Luckily, Sabo figured it out, because it has helped on multiple occasions. Luffy is pretty much on the verge of sleep but is trying to fight it however it's clear he's on the losing side.

"I guess that freckled faced kid is right, I'm a crybaby but I'm still gonna be a pirate, I'll show him," Luffy mumbles out, giving a big yawn. Ace perks up at that, resisting the urge to get his little brother to tell him what he knows. With the last of his energy, Luffy looks at Sanji with apologetic eyes.

"Sorry about getting blood on your jacket earlier," Sanji just closes his eyes in thought. Yes he was a little disappointed but it's better than having Luffy getting sick as well.

"It's okay, It can be washed out," Sanji replies softly. Luffy's mouth curves upwards slightly, glad that the cook isn't mad.

"That's good," With that said, Luffy is out like a light, having lost the battle of sleep. Sanji gently removes himself from Luffy and prepares to leave a second time.

"You staying here Ace?" Sanji whispers over to the fire user leaning against the desk. Ace gives a nod and Sanji takes that and leaves silently. The fire user claims the space next to Luffy, who instantly latches onto him. Not that he minds or anything, the three and two of them did this on cold nights to keep each other warm.

Hours pass through the night, where many sweet dreams of stories and adventures were dreamt. Though, not everyone received those sweet dreams.

* * *

 **And that the end of this chapter! This one took a lot longer to write but here it is. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out quickly for you guys.**

 **Just gonna say PLEASE leave a review as they are my greatest motivator, even if it's OMGUPDATENOWW! I'll be happy.**

 **Happy Birthday to Portgas D Ace for tomorrow (Jan 1st) ^.^ and Happy New Year!**

 **Anyway hope you enjoyed reading this story and if you would be so kind and Favourite and Follow and if you have anything to say the Reviews are there just for you.**

 **Thank you**

 **xxxxxSxxxxx**


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